Teddy Bear Bee
S1, Male, Pseudostringer
Ellura
Teddy Bear Bee
S1, Male, Black Striped Abdomen
 
                      
Teddy Bear Bee (Amegilla (Asaropoda) flava)Class: Animals (Animalia) - Jointed Legs (Arthropoda) - Insects (Insecta)
Order: Ant Bee Wasps (Hymenoptera)
Family: Long-tongued Bee (Bee: Apidae)     iNaturalist Observation
Species: Teddy Bear Bee (Amegilla (Asaropoda) flava)
This Photo:     🔍S1, Male, Black Inner Legs🔎

Thank you Dr Remko Leijs for identifying, Frank Prinz for confirming and Bernhard Jacobi & Dr Katja Hogendoorn for helping with the id of this species for us

General Species Information:
Found on Ellura (in the Murray Mallee, SA) and elsewhere
1st Live Photo on-line:
~14mm long.
While it's a close match to A. albigenella it's missing the triangular black patch on it's abdomen mentioned in the 2020 description.
The black lines on the abdomen were not visible after it was been in the fridge, they started to appear (as can be seen in the "Black Inner Legs" shot). But when we let it go in the shadehouse, and it's fully warmed up, they are quite visible. So not a reliable visual aid in determining species.
The golden colour of the hair on the face, the white hair behind the eyes, wing venation and colour of hair on the thorax are all indicators of species, along with a number of others. Bernhard confirmed it was a male and said "13 antennal (11 flagellar) members so clearly a male"

Copyright © 2022-2024 Brett & Marie Smith. All Rights Reserved. Photographed 07-Jan-2022
This species is an Australian Native Species, not listed in the SA Murray Mallee Survey of 2010.